Attack

Description

'The best form of defense is attack' is a common saying and is also a common
action, and when we feel threatened or attacked (even psychologically), we will
attack back.

When a person feels stressed in some way, they may lash out at whoever is in
the way, whether the other person is a real cause or not. They may also attack
inanimate objects.

Example

Someone criticizes me in a discussion. I angrily criticize them back.

A person is having problems with their computer. They angrily bang the
keyboard.

Discussion

Attack appears as a subconscious response in the
fight-or-flight reaction, where we
unthinkingly respond to a sudden threat with an aggressive response.

Attack is often also used in
displacement,
where aggressive feelings are redirected onto a substitute target.

So what?

When the other person is angry or attacks you, seek the underlying internal
conflict they are feeling rather than believe that they are attacking you
because you are bad in some way. In this way, you can help them recover (and
also gain credibility).